Warehouse Lighting Design Guide: Lux Levels, Spacing and High Bay Layouts

Most warehouse lighting failures are not product failures — they are layout failures. Fixtures are bought on wattage, spread on instinct, and the result is bright centers between dark racks, glare at packing benches, and an energy bill 30% higher than the building needed. Whether you supply fittings to a project or spec your own distribution center, four numbers decide the design: target lux, mounting height, spacing, and racking geometry.

Target lux by zone

Zone / activity	Maintained horizontal lux	Notes
Bulk storage / pallet areas	100–150	Forklift operation; watch vertical lux for rack labels
Order picking (medium racks)	200–300	Label reading at height drives vertical illuminance
Packing benches / inspection	300–500	Task lighting supplements; CRI ≥80 for color work
Loading docks	150–200	Trailer interiors need dedicated luminaires
Office / control rooms (in-warehouse)	300–500	Panel/downlight territory; see our office lighting guide
Corridors / escape routes	≥100 + emergency per EN 1838	3 h emergency lighting mandatory in the EU

Mounting height to wattage — the first-pass map

• 4–6 m: 60–100 W high bays or IP65 battens on close centers; wide beams fine.
• 6–9 m: 100–150 W, 90° optics, roughly 1.2–1.5× mounting height spacing.
• 9–12 m: 150–200 W; start checking narrow-beam options if racks exceed 6 m.
• 12 m+: 200 W+ or higher-lumen specialist optics; a photometric run is no longer optional.

Treat these as budgeting numbers, not design values. The real answer comes from the IES files against the actual floor plan.

Racks change everything

Above about 6 m, racking becomes the dominant optical element. Wide-beam UFOs illuminate the tops of racks beautifully and the aisles poorly; labels at 4 m sit in shadow while the ceiling structure glares. Aisle-optic linear high bays — or narrow-beam round units aligned to aisles — put the light where pickers need it. For double-deep or very narrow aisles over 10 m, a Dialux or AGI model with real rack dimensions is the only defensible route, and it is where vertical-lux targets on the rack faces get negotiated.

Controls: the cheapest watts are the ones you switch off

Warehouses typically operate below 30% of peak occupancy in their aisles. Microwave sensors with step-dimming (to 20–30%, full on at approach) routinely save 50–70% of lighting energy without touching comfort, and daylight harvesting near skylights and dock doors trims more. Spec sensors per aisle, not per open zone, to avoid one forklift waking half the building.

Frequently asked

How many high bays do I need for a 10,000 m² warehouse?

There is no honest answer without mounting height, rack layout and target lux — anyone who quotes a count from floor area alone is guessing. Send the plan and we will return a counted, calculated layout.

LED or skylights first?

Daylight is free but uncontrolled; the professional sequence is skylights plus dimmable LED with daylight control, so electric light fills only what daylight misses.

Can you check our existing layout?

Yes — send the current fixture schedule or a marked plan; we will model it, show the shortfalls, and price the delta rather than a blind replacement.